23 comments:

Great turnout YCEA!!! Let's aim for even more next week! All those who weren't there should be encouraged to attend. I agree that the board needs these messages to see that we are serious about fighting.

Not only were there so many Yucaipa teachers out there today, there were many parents to support us as well. They held signs as a show of unity and commented positively about our efforts.At Meadow Creek, our 10 minutes on Monday will be a small "victory" party intended to thank one and all involved with today's efforts and to encourage all to stay strong through next week as well.Hopefully, Mitch and his board (not ours, obviously)will recognize our committment to this cause: what's right, what's fair,what's deserved. Persevere all!

It was wonderful to see teachers supporting each other while sending a message to Mitch and the board. It amazes me to see the terrible press we sometimes receive, yet we still work way over contract hours, still encourage our students, still earn Title One and Distinguished School awards. We do good work even when we are "disgruntled"! I cannot wait to see if the News Mirror can spin today's actions and message. Good work everyone -- do not quit until we have a decent, respectable and adequate C.O.L.A.!!L.A.N.K.

As a former Yucaipa-Calimesa student, my message today was to show district that just because I graduated 2 years ago, does not mean that I forgot all about the teachers and the time they spent helping me. So today, I took time to help the teachers! In addition, to show that I do support Yucaipa-Calimesa teacher I have the signs in my yard and I also put it as my background on my myspace page. If you want to see my myspace page, the link is on my blog page.

kxgqyceyThe N-M has remained true to its tradition: do nothing, display nothing that in any way could possibly show support for the teachers of this community. I was wondering... if we were to throw a banquet, invte the N-M and feed them well, then provide awards and acolades for the paper, its owner and editor, would we then get recognition for all the hard work we do?I learned by reading the paper today that pumpkins will once again be available at Live Oak for a hefty price this year,that a lovely young lady living in Yucaipa was motivated to lose an enormous amount of weight, and that the Fire Academy will graduate 30 young men for the 66th time. But...nothing that has anything to do with teachers. I noticed as well that the (so called) paper entitles itself as a paper that is "...Your community. Your newspaper" For me, it is neither. It does not represent this community due to its continued omission of news that affects every family in this town. It is not my newspaper because it has embraced a board which does not support me...a teacher in Yucaipa.So, N-M, continue on with your biased reporting and egregious errors by omission.Oh, and enjoy the banquet next year as well...you will be a hard one to beat!

I still can't wait to see what the News-Mirror has to say about this event. I am considering boycotting not only the paper, but businesses who choose to advertise in it as well. BTW, do they even claim to be fair and balanced any more? Do the really have an absence of malice toward the employees of the largest employer in this community? I hope I am wrong, but I am playing the odds, and betting they don't even cover the largest demonstration in the history of Yucaipa. We'll see in the morning.

As they used to say in the Former Soviet Union, "There's no news in the truth, and no truth in the news". True for Pravda, and true for the News-Mirror. The News-Mirror would do well to remember what happened to the Soviets... Heck, even Josef Goebbels would be proud of them!

Isn't it ironic that the following description is used for the News Mirror on its web page:

"The Yucaipa and Calimesa News Mirror is a real hometown community newspaper. We emphasize our local news. The News Mirror covers both the cities of Yucaipa and Calimesa and the community of Oak Glen that are included in the geographical 45 square miles of our coverage. We celebrate our communities by keeping in touch with each other through our community reporting. We cover the latest breaking news, crimes and civic events. The News Mirror works with our public service agencies to keep our subscribers informed. We take our responsibility to communicate information pertinent to our citizens very seriously."

I will email the editor at cteeters@newsmirror.net to let her know she is failing at her mission. I will also be cancelling my subscription.

Wow. Can you tell that we're mad at the News-Mirror? I wonder if they know. I wonder if they know that WE know how hard a certain reporter has worked for us, only to be told over and over that he can't put articles in that are pro-teacher. I think we'll cancel our subscription. We'd held on to it, thinking that we wanted to see what they were saying, but we can read it on the internet. They're getting no more money from us.

Maybe there needs to be a mass gathering at the News-Mirror to cancel our subscriptions and demand our refunds. Novel thought, maybe we could even get press coverage on the defection from our "community press" due to its misrepresentation of itself. Kind of like the school district.

At times like this, you are either part of the solution, or part of the problem. The News-Mirror, with its obvious bias, is clearly part of the problem. I will not buy their paper any more, and I am not going to spend my money at businesses that advertise with them. Their lack of support has hurt me and my family financially, it's time to do the same to them.

Newpapers make most of their money by selling advertising space. If we want the News-Mirror to change, we need to get their advertisers involved. If you do business with one, express your concern to its owner, then be willing to take your business elsewhere until they stop advertising in the News-Mirror. We don't seem to have support in the Yucaipa Chamber of Commerce; so maybe its time to take our dollars to Redlands or Beaumont instead.